The conservative graveyard is littered with the remains of would-be champions, who buried themselves after misspending their political capital, and choosing the wrong hills to die on. Men and women who didn’t know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. Who didn’t know when to walk away, and when to run.

There comes a moment in elected office when some politicians rationalize that if they do not do something, they may lose. And if they lose, they won’t be able to stay around and fight for the cause. They rationalize that this one cave for election purposes is okay because of the greater good.

That is always the moment a politician ceases being effective and principled. This may be that time for Cruz.

In the meantime, he has caved for no purpose and seemingly confirms the Trumpian critique of Washington: they are all for sale.

That is unfortunate. The only people really pleased with Cruz’s endorsement are his potential 2020 rivals. Cruz just hurt himself for that nomination and will start with less ground than he had yesterday.

Those who always thought he was a self-interested politician now feel vindicated. Those who hate him feel affirmed. And those who stood by him feel betrayed.

The FBI gave Hillary Clinton’s advisor Cheryl Mills limited immunity from prosecution. This is significant because if there was anyone copying information from the State Department’s secure network to emails sent via Clinton’s private email server, it was probably Mills. You may also recall that Mills acted as Clinton’s attorney while she was questioned by the FBI. The FBI also granted immunity to John Bentel, who was responsible for IT security among high ranking State Department personnel, including Clinton. If you had any doubts that the fix was in for Clinton and her crew with respect to her private email server, this immunity revelation should dispel those doubts.

American nation building efforts in Afghanistan bred corruption on a massive scale: “In fact, corruption has become such a pervasive part of Afghan life since 2001 that cultural attitudes about paying bribes have dramatically shifted in just a decade and a half. Where once bribery was shameful, now it is met with tacit acceptance as a necessary evil.”